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KI3 > The breakdown of the Grand Alliance + impact on Germany > Flashcards

The breakdown of the Grand Alliance + impact on Germany Flashcards

1
Q

Who were in the Grand Alliance?

A

the USSR (Stalin), the USA (Roosevelt) and Britain (Churchill)

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2
Q

Why did the Grand Alliance break down?

A

tensions between the east and west
different ideologies
no longer united by their opposition to Hitler after the war-differences became more obvious
long standing differences
distrust

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3
Q

What were the different ideologies of the two sides?

A

Capitalism and democracy VS communism and totalitarianism

these differences explain the start of the cold war

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4
Q

Why was there tension in the Grand Alliance?

A

Stalin believed the West wanted to destroy communism

The West believed Stalin was encouraging communist revolutions in the West, and was determined to take over

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5
Q

Why was there distrust in the Grand Alliance?

A

Stalin believed Britain and the USA delayed opening a second front in World War II so that the Soviets would suffer greater casualties, and eventually be destroyed.

The USA didn’t tell the USSR they had developed an atomic bomb

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6
Q

What important decisions were made at Potsdam by the Grand Alliance?
(headers)

A

Occupation zones
Territorial losses
Reparations
Armed forces

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7
Q

What decisions were made at Potsdam concerning occupation zones?

A

Germany would be divided into 4 zones of occupation to be administered by Britain, USA, Soviet Union, France independently

Berlin (located in Soviet zone) would also be divided into 4 sectors, each occupied by 1 of the victorious powers

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8
Q

What decisions were made at Potsdam regarding territorial losses?

A

Alsace Lorraine returned to France 1945
the new border with the Poles was effectively drawn at the Oder-Neisse line, meaning Germany lost some prime agricultural + coal mining territory

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9
Q

What decisions were made at Potsdam regarding reparations?

A

agreement that each power was to take reparations from its own occupying zone
in addition USSR was to receive 1/4 of reparations from western zones in exchange for supply of raw materials + agricultural goods

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10
Q

What decisions were made at Potsdam regarding armed forces?

A

all German military forces were disbanded + prevented from having any independent military independence under Allied occupation

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11
Q

Why did the made decisions at Potsdam contribute towards creating a divided Germany?

A

because the agreements reached were limited and there was no permanent solution to the ‘German problem’

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12
Q

Why were the agreements made at Potsdam limited?

A

due to the ideological differences but also because of the USA’s and Soviet Union’s political + economic concerns

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13
Q

Why was Germany divided at the end of the war?

A

Population of Germany was divided between the 3 occupying powers in the west and USSR
they could not be merged into a united Germany because of East-West ideological divisions
some argue the division of Germany goes back to Nazi actions

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14
Q

Why do some argue that the division of Germany goes back to Nazi actions?

A

because it was their expansionism that ultimately resulted in Allied forces occupying much of Central Europe

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15
Q

Why did the USSR view Germany - particularly the possibility of a resurgent Germany - with trepidation?

A

they had been invaded by them twice in the last 30 years
the brutality of events in WW2 + large number of Soviet troops + civilians killed

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16
Q

What did the USSR do to ensure that Germany would not become resurgent/invade or cause them harm again?

A

established a series of buffer states in Eastern Europe + wanted to expand this policy

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17
Q

What did the West view the USSR’s establishment of buffer states as?

A

an attempt by the Soviet Union to spread communism & continue its policy of ‘world revolution’

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18
Q

When did the Allies meet at Yalta & what did they agree?

A

Feb 1945
once Hitler had been defeated, Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones

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19
Q

When did the Allies meet at Potsdam?

A

In July

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20
Q

By the time the Allies met at Potsdam, where had the Red Army been established?

A

the Red Army was established in Eastern Europe, giving the Soviets a strong negotiating position

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21
Q

What was agreed at Potsdam in terms of control of Germany?

A

that Germany would be administered under joint Allied Control through the Allied Control Council (ACC)
this was a problem as decisions had to be unanimous

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22
Q

What did the denazification process of Germany involve?

A

bringing major war criminals to trial, which was done at Nuremberg

23
Q

What was the plan of the communists, led by Walter Ulbricht?

A

to gain control of Berlin while giving the impression of democracy

24
Q

What did the Soviet Military Administration issue?
(East)

A

In June
Order Number 2 - allowed the formation of political parties

25
Q

What parties were formed in the east as a result of Order Number 2?

A

the Communist (KPD) and Social Democratic Party (SPD)
they were forcibly merged in 1946 to form the Socialist Unity Party (SED)

26
Q

What had happened in the east in 1948, despite the emergence of a range of parties?

A

any appearance of democracy had been abandoned as the SED took control of other parties + brought them together an anti-fascist bloc

27
Q

How were the political parties in the western zones different to the eastern zone?

A

political parties developed from the ground up & a larger no of parties developed
elections were to be held at local level so Western Germany could “rebuild its life on democratic and peaceful basis”

28
Q

What did the Communists argue that Nazism was a result of?

A

capitalism
therefore capitalism had to be abolished to deal with the roots of Nazism

29
Q

What did the Eastern zone’s approach to denazification (abolishing capitalism) involve?

A

the break up of large agricultural estates, the takeover of banks + factories
dismantling some equipment + taking it back to Soviet Union as reparations
Russians even kidnapped some experts + scientists to help reconstruct equipment they had seized

30
Q

What was the Soviets focus/concern in terms of their zone?

A

to strip their zone of as much of its assets as possible

31
Q

What was Britain’s + USA’s focus/concern in terms of their zone?

A

To rebuild their zone

31
Q

What was France’s focus/concern in terms of their zone?

A

they did not want a strong Germany, so wanted large reparations from their zone

32
Q

What was there in all four zones?

A

serious problems in tying to rebuild the German economy

33
Q

What winter was particularly severe? (hindered economic development)

A

1946/47 winter, it added to the shortages

34
Q

What did Britain have to do in order to fund it’s zone?

A

introduce bread rationing at home to fulfil its obligation under international law

35
Q

What did these developments suggest?
(severe 1946/47 winter + Britain’s weak economy)

A

co-operation between the zones was essential and this was evident by 1947

36
Q

Why did it become evident by 1947, that cooperation between the zones was essential?

A

food had to be imported and was costing US$700 million per year
economic reconstruction was not helped by the loss of machinery to the Soviet Union as reparations

37
Q

What did the British and Americans do, to overcome these problems?
(food being imported + cost, economic reconstruction being difficult due to loss of machinery to Soviet Union as reparations)

A

the British and Americans merged their zones to form Bizonia in Jan 1947

38
Q

When did the French join the British and Americans + merge their zone?

A

In April 1949, to form Trizonia

39
Q

What was the impact of the formation of Trizonia?

A

the Western powers had largely brought back the old capitalist system (complete contrast to East)

40
Q

What did the divergence in the economic development of the two zones do?

A

added to arguments over reparations, served only to increase tensions

41
Q

In the Soviet zone, what was abandoned by 1948/49?

A

democracy was formally abandoned, and the SED announced a Marxist-Leninist ‘Party of a New Type’

42
Q

What became clear, as a result of democracy being formally abandoned in the Soviet zone?

A

that Ulbricht + the SED leadership could envisage a Germany only under a communist model
brought them into conflict with those in the western zone

43
Q

What did the USSR ensure?

A

that communists got into power in many eastern European countries, these became satellite states (Soviet controlled communist governments)
Truman saw this as a blatant attempt to spread communism through out Europe

44
Q

When did Churchill give his Iron Curtain speech?

A

5th March 1946

45
Q

What did Truman do in 1947?
(speech)

A

gave a speech in which he promised that the USA would give aid to countries that were resisting Communist takeover
became known as the Truman Doctrine

46
Q

What was the aim of the Truman Doctrine?

A

To prevent the further spread of Communism

47
Q

What did the Truman Doctrine do?

A

made preventing communism a major goal of the US
created the policy of containment

48
Q

What did the USA believe the breeding ground for communism was?

A

Poverty
to prevent this they poured recourses into the European economy through the Marshall Plan

49
Q

When was Marshall Aid introduced?

A

June 1947

50
Q

What was Marshall Aid?

A

a plan to stabilise Europe and therefore stop the spread of communism
it offered considerable financial aid to Europe

51
Q

How did the USA benefit from the Marshall Plan?

A

the USA gained considerable economic benefits from the trade it stimulated

52
Q

How did Marshall Aid increase tension?

A

although aid was offered to the Soviet union, it was rejected & described as ‘dollar diplomacy’
East was isolated as aid was given to the Western zones but not East
created further division

53
Q

Why did the Truman doctrine cause tension?

A

the Soviet Union saw the implementation of the doctrine as a hostile challenge & façade of American imperialism, showing clear ideological as well as material differences

KI3 (9 decks)

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